Theory on Why Deer Shed and Regrow Antlers

Starting from Spring, bucks have the first development of a velvet bump that has grown over the previous year’s antler loss at the pedicle.  As the season warms and more food is available during green up, more nutrition is available for antler production.  Throughout the spring and summer, those antlers grow under the protection and blood supply of the velvet.  The increasing daylight and temperatures trigger their body chemistry to focus energy in their antler rebuild, much like our bodies would focus energy on repairing a broken bone. As the growing season progresses and daylight increases more and more quality food is available.

I can tell from my on-camera bucks during this time, bucks still appear slender.

After the summer solstice, the light begins to fade and nighttime temperatures begin to indicate a change in season.  In late August and Early September, we start to see bucks rubbing off their velvet.  At this time, light has been fading.  Our total daylight hours have reduced approximately 2 hours (half in the morning and half in the evening).  This increase in darkness and drop in nighttime temperatures signal a change in the bucks to begin rubbing their antlers and building neck muscle for sparing with other bucks that will eventually mean sparing for a rut ready doe.  At this point in time, the bucks primary biological focus is to be strong enough to fight for a mate and nutrition then is focused on muscle growth and not on antler growth.

At this time, without the velvet supplying antler growth and nutrition is now being used for body mass and strength. The antlers take their first hit in nutritional supply.

As the fall progresses, bucks build mass until the rut season begins.  As they enter the rut, their entire body will begin to take a toll from a reduction of nutrition, extensive searching for does and sparing. This is yet another hit to the antlers nutritional supply.

Throughout the fall, both the diversion of nutrients to the body and then reduction of nutrients due to the rut ultimately weaken the antlers where their main point of nutritional supply is provided at the pedicle. I believe this drop in nutritional supply at the pedicle creates cellular weakness where the antlers will eventually be shed away.

After the rut is over and bucks begin to resume post rut behavior and their body can recover from the rut, additional nutrients are allowed to begin supporting antler growth once again by way of the pedicle.  With the nutrients being supplied to the pedicle, the previous years antler is now flawed and damaged from the months of nutritional neglect. With the new blood and nutrient supply being directed towards antler growth, the previous season antler can’t permit velvet regrowth over it and so at a cellular level begins to form below the current antler.

As the velvet starts to form that begins antler growth, the cellular damage created from pour nutrition supply during; the fall build up to the rut; during the rut; and because of lower quality food after the rut, creates a weak point between the old antler and the new formation.  This weak point may irritate the buck like a scab does on our skin and force him to begin attempting to “scratch” it off.

So to sum everything up, I think it is purely the suffrage of malnutrition of the antlers due to the fact that bucks put everything into the rut and can torture their bodies just for mating purposes.

Let me know your theory.